Self-adjusting stretch coverall



-April 23, 1963 s. LASH 3,086,214

SELF-ADJUSTING STRETCH COVERALL Filed April 7, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. .95 w ve @454 April 23, 1963 5, L sH SELF ADJUSTING STRETCH COVERALL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 7, 1960 INVENTOR. 5.674700% [/9517 flrraielviy April 23, 1963 s. LASH 3,086,214

SELF-ADJUSTING STRETCH COVERALL Filed April 7, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. 625 Wow? Lflsfl United States Patent 3,086,214 SELF-ADJUSTING STRETCH COVERALL Seymour Lash, 40 Fox Place, Hicksville, N.Y. Filed Apr. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 20,792 4 Claims. (Cl. 2-79) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) I and the single-piece coverall type has been found to be more suitable than the two piece type, except for the fact that a snugly fitted coverall may provide somewhat less freedom of movement than a two piece work garment.

Also, the military services have logistics and storage problems which can be greatly simplified if a given size of a given garment type can be used by servicemen of various shapes and sizes. Fewer replacement garments have to be transported and less space is needed for storage, which is extremely important for certain units, such as the submarine service.

The present invention is a coverall-type work garment which adjusts to differently sized wearers and provides a snug tit as well as complete freedom of movement. These advantages are provided by inserting a panel of stretch fabric in a coverall in a horizontal band around the waist, another panel in the shoulder area and a third panel in the area between shoulder and waist. The waist panel has horizontal and vertical elasticity and the other two panels have at least horizontal elasticity. Thus, both vertical and horizontal stretching of the garment is assured.

An object of the invention is to provide a coverall which automatically adjusts itself to fit differently sized wearers.

Another object is to provide freedom of movement in a coverall type garment.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same be comes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the back of and left side of a coverall made in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the back of the coverall of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the coverall of FIG. 1 showing the gaps in the front closure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the back of a coverall employing individual elastic panel in place of the single vertical panel used in the coverall of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a three-quarter, perspective view of an improved version of the coverall.

A coverall-type garment 10, as shown in FIG. 1, is fabricated from a durable fabric 12 such a s nylon, Dacron, cotton twill, etc. 'A panel 14 of two-waystretch elastic material, which may comprise a knitted stretch fabric of the Helanca type, for example, is inserted in a horizontal band around the waist of the garment 10. A typical height for such a band might be eight inches, for example.

A vertical panel 16 of elastic material extends from the shoulder of the garment to the seat region below the waist band. This panel 16 must have elasticity at least in the horizontal direction and may be formed from the same two-way-stretch material as the waist panel 14. Par-t of the panel 16 extends under the armpit of the garment 10 for greater freedom of movement of the arms of the wearer.

3,086,214 Patented Apr. 23, 1963 A second vertical panel 18 similar to the first 16 is placed at the other side of the garment 10'.

. The garment 10, by virtue of the elasticity and position of these panels, is provided with expandability in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction in the shoulder, chest, waist and seat. It also provides a snug and freedom of movement for all wearers. The vertical panels are, in this embodiment, formed in continuous strips. However, each vertical panel could alternatively be replaced by three smaller panels (see FIG. 4) each providing elasticity in the horizontal direction. The first would be a panel 30 in the shoulder area, preferably extending up over the crest of the shoulder to provide accommodation to wearers who have different dimensions across the shoulders. The second would be a panel 32 between the shoulder and waist region to provide accommodation for different chest and back sizes and to accommodate torsions and muscle expansions resulting from the movements of a wearer. The third would be a panel 34 in the seat area, andwould be preferable although not absolutely necessary since the seat could be designed loosely and would accommodate most wearens satisfactorily, if not quite snugly. Waist panel 14 would also be replaced by a modified waist panel 14. The unitary vertical panel is preferred, however, because it is easier to fabricate a garment with a single vertical panel than with three panels.

A full view of the back of the garment 10 is provided in FIG. 2.

The garment 10, in its unoccupied condition, is sized for a small person (within the range of sizes it encompasses), the elasticity of the panels permitting it to expand so as to accommodate larger persons. It has been found that only three sizes (small, medium and large) of these garments 10 encompass the complete range of sizes of the conventional coveralls now in use in the military services.

FIG. 3 shows the garment in front view. The garment 10 can be opened from the neck substantially to the crotch and any convenient closure means may be em-t ployed, such as a zipper or snaps. At least one gap should be left to separate the upper and lower sections of the closure means if a unitary closure is employed, the gap being left in the waist panel region so that vertical expandability is not interfered with. The type of closure means employed in FIG. 3 is a nylon-tape closure 22,

indicated by dotted lines. (This type of closure also is known as a Velcro closure.) Two gaps 7A- and 26 in the Waist band region separate the upper and lower portions from a central portion 28 of the closure 22.

FIG. 5 illustrates an improved version of the'coverall, which is more satisfactory for wearers who carry heavy tools in the pockets 36 of the garment. This practice has been found to pull the trouser legs down too far because the horizontal waist panel 14 is stretched excessively.

'Waist flaps 38 and 38" are therefore extended upward from the portion of the fabric 12 which joins the lower edge of the horizontal elastic panel 14, the waist flaps substantially encircling the waist region except that they do not extend across the vertical panels 16 and 18. -Loops 40, through which a belt may be inserted, are attached at intervals to the outside circumference of the flap 38'. Tightening the flap 38 around the waist by means of the .belt supports the lower partof the coverall so that it will of maximum elasticity is transverse to the ribbing. Each panel, therefore, is arranged so that its ribbing is transverse to the direction in which the maximum aniount of stretching may be expected. Thus, the ribbing of the vertical panels is in the vertical direction since maximum strain and stretching will occur in the horizontal direction across the chest and back, while the ribbing of the horizontal waist band or bands is in the horizontal direction because maximum strain across this panel will occur in the vertical direction, as, for example, when a wearer bends over from the waist. Although the panels could be made from material which has equal elasticity in both said directions, it has been found that restriction of the amount of elasticity in the direction in which it is least needed in a panel leads to a lesser amount of sagging and drooping of the garment under conditions of severe and extended usage.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. A stretch coverall comprising:

a one-piece coverall garment having a panel of elastic material inserted as a horizontal band around the waist region thereof, said elastic material having elasticity in the vertical and horizontal directions;

a pair of vertical panels of elastic material extending from the shoulder region of the garment to said horizontal panel, one vertical panel on each side of said garment, said vertical panels having elasticity at least in the horizontal direction, said panels providing said garment with vertical expandability, and also horizontal expandability in the shoulder, chest and waist regions; and

a front and rear flap substantially encircling said coverall in the waist region, said flaps extending upward from the trouser section of said coverall, the junction of said flaps with the trouser section being close to the junction of the horizontal elastic panel with the trouser section; and

a plurality of belt loops attached at intervals to the outer surface of said flaps.

2. A stretch coverall comprising:

a one-piece coverall garment;

a panel of elastic material inserted as a horizontal band around the waist region thereof, said elastic material having elasticity in the vertical and horizontal directions;

a pair of vertical panels of elastic material extending from the shoulder region of the garment to said horizontal panel, one vertical panel on each side of said garment, said vertical panels having elasticity at least in the horizontal direction, said panels providing said garment with vertical expandability, and also horizontal expandability in the shoulder, chest and waist regions;

closure means extending from the neck region of said garment substantially to the crotch region, said closure having at least one gap in its Vertical extent, said gap occurring in the elastic waist panel region;

a front and rear flap substantially encircling said coverall in the waist region, said flaps extending upward from the trouser section of said coverall, the junction of said flaps with the trouser section being close to the junction of the horizontal elastic panel with the trouser section; and

a plurality of belt loops attached at intervals to the outer surface of said flaps.

3. A stretch coverall comprising:

a one-piece coverall garment;

a panel of elastic material inserted as a horizontal band around the waist region thereof, said elastic material having elasticity in the vertical and horizontal directions;

at least one panel of elastic material inserted in the shoulder region of said garment, said panel having elasticity at least in the horizontal direction so that said garment has expandability in its shoulder measuremen-t;

at least one panel of elastic material inserted medially between the shoulder and waist regions of said garment, said panel having elasticity at least in the horizontal direction so that said garment has expandability in the chest region;

closure means extending from the neck region of said garment substantially to the crotch region, said closure having at least one gap in its vertical extent, said gap occurring in the elastic waist panel region;

a front and rear flap substantially encircling said coverall in the waist region, said flaps extending upward from the trouser section of said coverall, the junction of said flaps with the trouser section being close to the junction of the horizontal elastic panel with the trouser section; and

a plurality of belt loops attached at intervals to the outer surface of said flaps.

4. A stretch coverall comprising:

a one-piece coverall garment;

at least one strip of elastic material inserted horizontally along the waist in the back of the garment, said elastic material having elasticity in the vertical and horizontal directions;

a pair of vertical panels of elatsic material extending from the shoulder region of the garment to said horizontal panel, one vertical panel on each side of said garment, said vertical panels having elasticity at least in the horizontal direction, said panels providing said garment with vertical expandability, and also horizontal expandability in the shoulder, chest and waist regions; and

a front and a rear flap substantially encircling said coverall in the waist region, said flaps extending upward from the trouser section of said coverall, the junction of said flaps with the trouser section being close to the junction of the horizontal elastic panel with the trouser section; and

a plurality of belt loops attached at intervals to the outer surface of said flaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 854,763 Scriven May 28, 1907 884,815 Gould Apr. 14, 1908 997,669 Hall July 11, 1911 1,102,299 Scriven July 7, 1914 1,112,720 Powell Oct. 6, 1914 1,425,726 Walker Aug. 15, 1922 1,929,506 McDonald Oct. 10, 1933 2,280,479 Cohen Apr. 21, 1942 2,664,570 Ar-tzt Jan. 5, 1954 2,717,437 De Mestral Sept. 13, 1955 

1. A STRETCH COVERALL COMPRISING: A ONE-PIECE COVERALL GARMENT HAVING A PANEL OF ELASTIC MATERIAL INSERTED AS A HORIZONTAL BAND AROUND THE WAIST REGION THEREOF, SAID ELASTIC MATERIAL HAVING ELASTICITY IN THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONS; A PAIR OF VERTICAL PANELS OF ELASTIC MATERIAL EXTENDING FROM THE SHOULDER REGION OF THE GARMENT TO SAID HORIZONTAL PANEL, ONE VERTICAL PANEL ON EACH SIDE OF SAID GARMENT, SAID VERTICAL PANELS HAVING ELASTICITY AT LEAST IN THE HORIZONTAL DIRECTION, SAID PANELS PROVIDING SAID GARMENT WITH VERTICAL EXPANDABILITY, AND ALSO HORIZONTAL EXPANDABILITY IN THE SHOULDER, CHEST AND WAIST REGIONS; AND A FRONT AND REAR FLAP SUBSTANTIALLY ENCIRCLING SAID COVERALL IN THE WAIST REGION, SAID FLAPS EXTENDING UPWARD FROM THE TROUSER SECTION OF SAID COVERALL, THE JUNCTION OF SAID FLAPS WITH THE TROUSER SECTION BEING CLOSE TO THE JUNCTION OF THE HORIZONTAL ELASTIC PANEL WITH THE TROUSER SECTION; AND A PLURALITY OF BELT LOOPS ATTACHED AT INTERVALS TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID FLAPS. 